How coronavirus is affecting the movie and TV industry
As we all know, novel coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, is having a significant impact across the globe.
A number of countries, regions and cities are currently in lockdown, with public places closed and movement restricted in an attempt to get the situation under control.
But there are other, lesser costs to the outbreak than the human one. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has also said that it could "cut global economic growth in half" and force a number of countries into recession.
Being an entertainment news site, we can't help but observe that it's also having a seismic effect on the film and TV industry.
Here are the biggest developments.
TV
Numerous TV festivals, network showcases and presentations have been cancelled.
All Netflix TV series and movies – production on hold for at least two weeks.
All Disney+'s Marvel TV series – production on hold.
All Apple TV+ titles – production paused.
NBCUniversal series– production on the vast majority is currently paused.
Grey's Anatomy season 16 – production stopped.
The Handmaid's Tale – production suspended.
Peaky Blinders and Line of Duty – production suspended.
Lord of the Rings TV series – filming stopped.
Young Sheldon – production halted.
Riverdale – production stopped.
The Flash – production halted.
HBO's The Righteous Gemstones season two and Euphoria season two – production paused.
Snowpiercer – production on hold.
Batwoman – production stopped.
God Friended Me – production paused.
FX's Atlanta, Fargo, Snowfall and Y – production paused for at least two weeks.
Love Island France – production shut down.
Celebrity Race Across The World – filming postponed.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – both filming without live audience.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Wendy Williams Show – production suspended.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Real Time With Bill Maher – indefinite hiatus.
Jimmy Kimmel Live – production paused.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show – tape without live audience.
Survivor season 41 – production halted until May.
The Bachelorette season 16 – filming paused for two weeks.
Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy – both to film without a live studio audience indefinitely.
General Hospital – production stopped.
The Amazing Race – filming put on hold. Season 32, which is next to air, has already been shot.
Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2020 – postponed.
Movies
Multiple film festivals and premieres have been cancelled, including SXSW.
No Time To Die – release moved to November 12 in the UK and November 25 in the US.
A Quiet Place Part II – release delayed.
The Batman – filming stopped for two weeks.
Mulan - release postponed.
Fast and Furious 9 – release rescheduled for 2021.
Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi – production paused.
Mission: Impossible 7 – was due to shoot in Italy. Production will move to Longcross Studios in Surrey.
Jurassic World: Dominion – filming paused.
Sony's The Nightingale starring Dakota and Elle Fanning – production paused.
Sony's The Wheel of Time starring Rosamund Pike – production suspended.
Ridley Scott's The Last Duel starring Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck – production on indefinite hiatus.
Disney's The Little Mermaid, Home Alone, Peter Pan & Wendy, Nightmare Alley and Shrunk – production paused.
The Lovebirds starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae – release delayed.
Peter Rabbit 2 – release moved from April to August.
Samaritan starring Sylvester Stallone – shooting paused.
Randall Emmett's Midnight In The Switchgrass - production halted.
Sony's Cinderella starring Camila Cabello and Billy Porter – production halted.
Paul Schrader's The Card Cutter – production suspended.
China, as you'd expect, has also been hit exceptionally hard.
Both the Beijing premiere of Daniel Craig's final James Bond film, No Time To Die – previously set for release in the US on April 10 – and the film's promotional tour were cancelled.
James Bond is extremely popular in China, with Spectre raking in a whopping $84m in China alone.
The country's Mulan release has also been paused indefinitely. The film is currently Disney's most expensive live-action remake.
Sonic the Hedgehog's debut has also been moved, with the new release date to be announced at a later time.
"Sonic will only be slowing down his pace temporarily, and we look forward to bringing him zooming onto the big screen in China once it is appropriate to do so," said Paramount China in a statement (via Deadline).
Several other Chinese titles have had their theatrical releases scrapped entirely, including comedy Lost in Russia and martial arts film Enter The Fat Dragon, which were made available to stream online instead.
Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai has also been affected by the coronavirus. His feature film Blossoms, which is based on Jin Yucheng's novel of the same name, was set to film in Shanghai. But that, too, has hit a wall.
According to the South China Morning Post, "filming is expected to resume as soon as the health emergency in China has passed".
Deadline has also reported that the release date for Pixar's Onward has been moved to April in Taiwan.
The UK government has plenty of information on how to minimise the risk of contracting the virus and what to do if you think you have it.
Signs of infection include: a cough, a high temperature, shortness of breath, fever and breathing difficulties.
Do not go to hospital or visit your GP if you are concerned. Instead, self-isolate for 14 days and then continue to practice social distancing. The UK government is advising everyone to avoid "non-essential" contact with others and "unnecessary" travel.
To minimise the spread of infection, the WHO advises the following: regular hand washing – do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean – covering mouth and nose with tissue when coughing and sneezing, before safely disposing of tissue. Alternatively, you should cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow if you don't have a tissue to hand.
Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing, and thoroughly cook meat and eggs.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing.
For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Advisories on public health can also be found here.
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